If You Want Me To Vote For Obama

I have no intention of being a Republican for Obama, unless I get my way on one thing: we, as a nation, tear up the race card.

Make me a solemn promise that we can stop talking about the minority of white people who have a true problem with black people, so that we can focus on issues that have skyrocketed past racism on the list of problems facing black America. If you do that, I'm willing to take four or eight years of almost anyone as president. I don't expect to agree with Mr. Obama on anything. I expect that many of the choices he'll make aren't going to be good for me, but I'd be willing to take a chance if it meant that we could all stop walking on eggshells and get serious for once.

If I vote for Obama, can we stop blaming race by default? Can we stop worrying about the racial makeup of the prisons and focus on who did what to put them there? Can we start talking about family and the importance of education? Can we just knuckle down for once and get things done? Can I stop feeling unwelcome in certain parts of town, and also stop feeling guilty about it later on? Can we just get over it? Can't we all just get along?